Before Michael Jackson became the King of Pop, he was an 11-year-old boy standing in front of his four older brothers with a voice that sounded far beyond his age. In late 1969, Motown released the Jackson 5’s first national single, “I Want You Back,” with Michael handling the demanding lead vocal. Within months, America had made it the biggest song in the country.
On January 31, 1970, “I Want You Back” reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Michael was just 11 years and 155 days old, making him one of the youngest lead singers ever heard on a Hot 100 chart-topper. Producer Freddie Perren even remembered wondering whether a child could reach the song’s highest notes. Michael reportedly nailed the difficult note immediately.
Watch 11-Year-Old Michael Jackson Perform “I Want You Back”
The performance was recorded for The Ed Sullivan Show on December 14, 1969, only weeks before the single reached No. 1. Michael had not even turned 12, yet he sings and dances with the confidence of someone who had already spent years onstage. After watching him perform, Ed Sullivan famously told the audience that “the little fella in front is incredible.”
And “I Want You Back” was only the beginning. The Jackson 5 followed it with “ABC” and “The Love You Save,” both featuring Michael on lead and both reaching No. 1 before his 12th birthday. “I’ll Be There” followed later in 1970, making the Jackson 5 the first group to send its first four charting singles to the top of the Hot 100.
Watch Michael Jackson Perform the Jackson 5’s Next No. 1 “ABC”
By the time the group returned to The Ed Sullivan Show in May 1970, Jacksonmania was already underway. “ABC” had replaced The Beatles’ “Let It Be” at No. 1, while Michael was still only 11. The second performance shows that the first breakthrough was no accident. The tiny frontman was now leading one of Motown’s hottest acts through another national hit.
Michael Jackson would later make Off the Wall, Thriller and Bad, revolutionize music videos and become one of the most influential performers in pop history. But his extraordinary chart story began much earlier.
Before Michael was old enough to enter high school, his voice had already taken a song to No. 1.
Watch “I Want You Back” first, then jump forward a few months to “ABC” and see how quickly an 11-year-old boy from Gary, Indiana became the unmistakable star at the center of the Jackson 5.